SA Footy

Feel free to use this thread to tell us stories about and post photos of your pop/dad/ great grandad who fought for us.

I think it's important that their stories and experiences are shared...there aren't many left and we don't want to lose the real history to the grave.

Lest We Forget.

On this day 99 years ago my grandfather landed on Gallipoli. 4th Infantry brigade 15th battalion. AIF 1478
The story goes that him and his mate carried their swag from Broken Hill to Toowoomba to enlist. Being a tent boxer back in the day he saw a poster that said join and fight for your king and country overseas. He thought it meant boxing?
Got a big shock when told the real deal.

He was badly wounded on june 8th with a gun shot wound and schrapnel damaged shoulder so sent home.
I have his dog tag, medals, and a diary he kept which is exremely harrowing reading.
I thank god that he made it back alive or i wouldnt be here.

To all those who havent had the luck my grandfather did i thank you so much for the sacrifice you made to allow us all to be here.

Lest We Forget

My grandpa (on my dad's side) was a Navy man - sailed on the N Class Destroyer Napier. I know very little about his experiences, though - only that he participated in the battle of Crete. Interestingly, Mr McSpaz's grandfather was at Crete as well - he was an Army colonel. Grandpa is 92 now and isn't able to march on Anzac Day any more - he's quite frail - but he always marched up until about 2 years ago, and Dad always either took us to the march or sat us down in front of the TV so we could see Grandpa. Mr McSpaz's grandpa died last year, also in his 90s.

I know a lot more about my grandfather on my mum's side, although he wasn't Australian and never fought in WWII. But he lived in Australia most of his life and he contributed a heck of a lot to the community after settling in Adelaide, so I'm going to mention him. He was Lithuanian; the Germans occupied the region first and massacred the Jews, but it was the Russians my grandad was afraid of, because of their treatment of civilians in towns they occupied. Rape and murder were widespread. When the Russians came he escaped from his village into Latvia, was caught by the Germans and imprisoned in a labour camp. He escaped, was caught again and imprisoned again. He escaped again and made it to Australia after obtaining papers claiming he had TB, so he wouldn't be conscripted into army service.

My dad and his brothers never fought in a war - Dad was too young for Vietnam (and an anti-war protester) and his eldest brother was making millions over in Indonesia by then, but his middle brother was drafted. The war ended right before he was due to fly out. Mr McSpaz's dad was drafted and went to Vietnam. He was a pacifist and Mr McSpaz said it ruined his life.

Anyway, I'm glad they all came through their wartime experiences, otherwise we wouldn't be here. My four-year-old was asking questions about Anzac Day, and we've explained it as much as we could to him, and he wanted to sit down and watch the march. When he's older we'll tell him more about the wars, and those who died so people like us could live. It's important to pass it on to our kids, so the sacrifices made will be remembered.

Lest We Forget